The Church of England are very pleased to announce the appointment of Reverend Canon David Male to the new role of National Adviser for Pioneer Ministry, working as part of both Ministry Division and the Fresh Expressions team.
David is presently the Director of the Centre for Pioneer Learning in Cambridge which aims to equip, resource and send out lay and ordained pioneers, both nationally and internationally. He is also Tutor in Pioneer Mission Training at Westcott House and Ridley Hall, Cambridge and Pioneer Consultant for Ely Diocese. Previously David spent seven years as the Vicar of the Net Church in Huddersfield which was one of the first fresh expressions of church in the UK. He has written a number of books around pioneering issues. He is a member of the Archbishops College of Evangelists.
After more than a decade of creative work on pioneer ministry and fresh expressions (following the Mission-shaped Church report), the Church of England has reached a critically important stage in moving from envisioning to strategic embedding. This new fixed term post funded by the Church Commissioners and based in Ministry Division has been designed through an innovative partnership with Fresh Expressions to help this process of embedding. David's appointment helps to build the Ministry Division's capacity to offer support to colleagues in the National Church Institutions, dioceses, Theological Education Institutions, and mission agencies, in this important area of ministry at this particular time.
The primary purpose of the role is to facilitate the development of a comprehensive and integrated vision, strategy and practice for pioneer ministry in the Church of England. David will work as an official champion for all licensed and authorised forms of pioneer ministry. He commented,
I am very excited by this new role and the opportunities it offers to further develop the scope and reach of pioneering across the whole of England.
David takes up his new role in August 2015.